Uber CEO Sorry He Didn't Apply Brakes To His Mouth

SAN FRANCISCO – Uber Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick issued an apology Tuesday in which he admitted to his leadership shortcomings after he was caught on dashcam video arguing over reduced fares with one of his company's drivers.

"It’s clear this video is a reflection of me," Kalanick wrote in the email to the ride-share firm's employees, referring to the viral video.

In the video, the ride-service driver tells Kalanick that since fares were slashed, he lost $97,000. "I am bankrupt because of you," the driver says.

While arguing the ride-hail operation needs to remain competitive, Kalanick counters in the taped tirade, "Some people don't like to take responsibility for their actions," before exiting the car with a curt "good luck" and a door slam.

Uber came under fire last week, as well, after a former employee detailed in a blog post allegations of sexual and workplace harassment at the company, reigniting the #DeleteUber movement. The blog post was widely shared, and Uber has promised an urgent investigation into the claims and culture described in the post.

The post was written by Susan Fowler, a former SRE engineer who joined Uber in November 2015 and left just more than a year later in December 2016.

Regarding the most recent video tiff, Kalanick sent the following note to Uber employees Tuesday evening:

"By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully. To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away.

"It’s clear this video is a reflection of me—and the criticism we’ve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.

"I want to profoundly apologize to Fawzi, as well as the driver and rider community, and to the Uber team.
—Travis"

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--Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News / Getty Images